In the new year, urban pollution appears to have become the biggest headline-grabbing phenomenon in India.

The fire at Deonar. Solaris images

Close on the heels of the publicity surrounding Delhi's odd-even scheme, a massive fire at the Deonar dumping ground in Mumbai shifted the focus to the commercial capital.

The extent of the fire can be gauged by images reportedly shared by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa) showing smoke from the fire spreading across to the southern part of Mumbai.

The satellite images show that the smoke plumes were not seen on 27 January, the day before the fire started, Hindustan Times reported.

On the very next day, the city's air quality index (AQI) deteriorated significantly, falling into the 'very poor' category, Indian Express reported.